Warangal, only the Hoysala (Mysore) and Pandya (Madura) kingdoms remained to come under Khilji’s authority. Allaud-din’s general Malik-Kafur finally managed to bring Hoysalas into the Khilji Imperial System. Now an easy way was paved to attack the Madura (Pandya) territory. At this time it so happened that the Khilji dynasty was overthrown and Ghaji Khan Tughlak succeeded, later to be followed by Muhammad. During his reign the Muhammadan Government was established at Madura and Jala-ud-din (Muhammad’s General) was appointed the first Governor of Madura and later Kannanure (near Trichinopoly) became a Muhammadan cantonment. Due to trouble on all sides, Jalal-ud-din was able to declare himself independent of his monarch about the year 1335 A.D.

The rebellion of Jalal-ud-din was the signal for the Hindu powers to attempt to regain their lost independence. The planting of Mussalman Garrisons in the Maratta country was an indication of what the Islamic powers meant doing. Other Muhammadan Governors followed Jala-ud-din and began to set themselves up independently. This was a golden opportunity for the Hindu King of Hoysala to sever Muslim rule. The Hoysala King waited patiently for his time and chance but unfortunately he fell fighting and his ambitions suffered a severe setback, Ballala’s (the Hoysala ruler) death was in 1342.

The traditional date of foundation of Vijayanagar is 1336, “The foundation of Vijayanagar as such……… is the outcome of that policy of the last Hoysala who dislodged the garrisons planted in the course of the southern invasions under Muhammad Tughlak and getting South India free of the Muhammadans”.¹³ The same author declares, “There seems to be…….………a sequence of events which led gradually from efforts at protecting the Ballala Kingdom to ultimately erecting a state which would offer effective opposition and save South India from Muhammadan conquest. That culmination is what is really to be described as the

13. Krishnaswamy Aiyangar, S. Vijayanagara Sexcentenary Volume; “Character and significance of the empire of Vijayanagaram in Indian History”; Pp. 10 and 11.